David Gans - Intelligent and Gentle Spirit

Photo by Bob Minkin

I have had the pleasure of knowing David Gans for over 20 years. David struck me as an articulate, intelligent and gentle spirit when he graciously welcomed me and my wife into his home back in 1989. We sat up all night talking about the past and the future of our favorite band and enjoyed the magic of the universe together.

Back in the days of Prodigy and Mosaic, I stayed in touch with David via membership in The Well and our mutual friend, Rebecca Adams. His personality is electric and infectious and I am glad to consider him a friend.

As he notes in the interview, David was a songwriter and musician before he ever heard of the Grateful Dead. A biographer might note that he is an accomplished artist, writer, and producer and well known by Deadheads as the host of the Grateful Dead Hour. In my view, framing David by those accomplishments only provides one view of the genuine all around cool guy that he is.

David kindly agreed to answer a few questions and is the subject of this week's interview.

It has been nearly a year since you have had some health issues. How are you feeling and how has the entire process changed you as a person?

Y'know, I didn't have to make a lot of changes in my lifestyle. I was already eating wisely and exercising regularly. My body has a hobby of making arterial plaques, so I needed to make some adjustments in my diet and start taking a statin, but it wasn't as big a deal for me as it is for people whose diet and sedentary existence were more directly connected to their health issues.

My wife went through chemo (successfully) for lymphoma seven years ago. Now we both feel we're living on "bonus time."

There are 15 year old kids today hearing the GD Hour and becoming introduced to the band through your radio program. How is the experience of getting on the bus today different from getting on the bus four decades ago?

Jerry Garcia is gone, so the Grateful Dead doesn't exist any more. The surviving band members are making good music in various combinations, and there are lots of bands around the country keeping that style of music alive. I imagine it's the same as when I got into Bob Wills' music in the '70s, only there's way more GD music available today (for free, on demand, online) so anyone who's interested can get the complete picture of the band's musical history. Not the same as going to a Grateful Dead concert and feeling the real vibe in real time, but it is what it is.

What are some of your favorite moments/experiences in the Grateful Dead community.

Nothing like being there at midnight on New Year's Eve when Bill Graham did his outrageous pageant for an arena full of very high people! But also, being there in that "moment of perfect silence" deep in the second set when it was just you and Jerry.

With the slow death of reel to reels and cassette tapes, how has the digitalization and nearly instant access to the music changed the community?

It has made it easier for newcomers to be brought up to speed, and harder for musicians to make a living.

What is the one thing about what it is that you do that most people probably do not know or understand?

I'm here for the music, and I have spent a great portion of my adult life studying and evangelizing Grateful Dead music. But I was a songwriter and musician before I ever heard the Dead, and I am nowhere near as obsessed with it as many people seem to think I am, or should be.